In my 20s, I would meet a group of friends every year at Pete’s Tavern in Manhattan, and we’d write down our resolutions for the year. At the time it was all about quitting things cold turkey — no more Sunday Funday, or Diet Coke during the week — but I’ve since started taking a more balanced approach. (Neither of the aforementioned resolutions stuck, by the way.) And I now focus on taking on things that enrich my life, rather than giving up things that create a deficit of joy.

This year, I’ve challenged myself to have more fun in the kitchen. Cooking and baking in my time off sometimes feels like a chore, but I’ve learned these tasks feel less like obligations when I decide to stop trying to be perfect and just make things that put a smile on my face. This is especially important in January, when I’m trying to establish upbeat, healthy routines, but the dregs of winter have other plans.

All of this is to say: I’m finding my beach, and I encourage you to do the same. Yes, this is a beer slogan, but I’m taking that advice to heart over the next few months, when the winter in New York seems longer than a Christopher Nolan movie (I do love them, though). I could think of nothing better to kick off a year of blissful bakes than my salted margarita bars, a beach vacation in dessert form.

These were borne of a project I once worked on called “Party for One,” in which I tried to prove that cooking for yourself doesn’t have to be boring or repetitive. I threw myself a summer barbecue for dinner one night and made these for dessert. It’s a recipe that serves a crowd, but it’s also perfect for the solo diner because the finished treats are meant to be kept in the freezer (and as we know, I love a freezer treat).

Yes, these bars stay custardy even when frozen. A lot of that has to do with the sweetened condensed milk, which doesn’t freeze solid because of its high sugar content, and the booze, which also doesn’t freeze at your standard freezer temp of around zero degrees. This means they can be eaten straight from the freezer. They’ll be fine at room temperature for about an hour, but any longer than that and I’d return them to the ice chest.

I admit I was being a bit cheeky when choosing a cocktail-themed Monthly Bake for January; I know many of you are working your way through Dry January. Consider this recipe a loop hole! And if you don’t drink, or just aren’t drinking this month, you can also omit the liquor — substitute simple syrup for the tequila and orange juice for the orange liqueur.

The saltine crust is a nod to Atlantic Beach pie, which is the very beach I, as a North Carolinian, think of when I dream of warmer months ahead. The filling is a boozy version of the standard Key lime pie curd, but without the hassle of finding (or juicing) tiny Key limes. After a trip to the freezer to set, the topping gets a sprinkle of flaky sea salt to recall a beautifully salted rim, a welcome barrier between me and a frosty frozen marg.

Like I said, keep any leftovers in the freezer. If you’re feeling especially ritualistic, you can channel Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest, Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock in “Practical Magic” and set these aside as a late-night snack. Midnight margaritas, anyone?

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Welcome to the new era of Monthly Bakes, now landing in your inbox at the beginning of the month rather than at the end. I’m back from my long winter’s nap and finally seeing all your Moravian sugar cakes. I can smell them from here, and it’s making me hungry! Send photos of your sugar cakes or (and?) your salted margarita bars to baketime@nytimes.com and keep tagging me on Instagram @vaughn. (By submitting photos to us via email, you agree to our reader submission terms here.)

Salted Margarita Bars

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Total time: 45 minutes, plus 2 hours’ freezing

Yield: 16 bars

INGREDIENTS

For the crust

½ cup/113 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted, plus more for greasing the pan

About 40 saltine crackers (from one 4-ounce/113-gram sleeve)

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling

2 teaspoons lime zest plus ½ cup juice (from about 4 limes)

¼ cup tequila (preferably blanco)

2 tablespoons orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier

Pinch of kosher salt

5 large egg yolks

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Flaky salt, for finishing

PREPARATION

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan with butter (or use the wrapper from your stick of butter). Line the buttered pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides. (This will help you pull the bars out of the pan easily.)

• Prepare the crust: In a food processor, pulse the saltines until ground like coarse sand. (Alternatively, place them in a zip-top bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.) It’s OK if there are a few larger pieces. Add the melted butter, sugar and salt, and pulse a few more times until all the crumbs are evenly saturated (or mix to combine in a medium bowl). Pour the mixture into the lined pan, press into an even layer and freeze for about 15 minutes.

• After the crust has chilled, bake it until fragrant and golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

• While the crust cools, make the filling: In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, combine the lime zest, lime juice, tequila, orange liqueur and salt.

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks and sweetened condensed milk. Add the tequila-lime mixture to the yolk mixture, whisk to combine, then pour into the prepared crust. (It’s OK if the crust is not yet completely cool.) You may be tempted to prepare the curd earlier, but don’t do so more than 10 minutes before baking, as the lime juice will start to thicken it, which could affect the bake.

• Bake 15 to 17 minutes until the curd is set around the edges and slightly jiggly in the center.

• Transfer to a rack to cool slightly, then freeze for at least 2 hours.

• After freezing, remove the bars from the pan using the parchment paper overhang and transfer to a cutting board. Sprinkle with flaky salt, cut into 16 bars and serve right away. Store leftovers in the freezer. Cheers!

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